A farmer’s daughter from Ropar has secured the top rank in the country in the Air Force Academy merit list.Mehakpreet Kaur, a cadet at Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for Girls at Mohali, has secured All India Rank (AIR) 1 in the Air Force Academy merit list. The achievement is significant given the minuscule vacancies for women in the defence services.Her fellow cadet, Komalpreet Kaur, daughter of Indian Army Havildar Gurmeet Singh from Amritsar, secured AIR 18 for entry into National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla.Both cadets come from modest backgrounds, living up to the institute’s founding ethos of ‘Shubh Karman Te Kabhu Na Taraun’ — never to shy away from righteous action. Mehakpreet is the daughter of farmer Amarjit Singh and Rupinder Kaur of Paprali village in Ropar district. Komalpreet is the daughter of Havildar Gurmeet Singh and Baljit Kaur of Shahura village in Amritsar district.Punjab Employment Generation, Skill Development and Training Minister Aman Arora congratulated the two cadets, saying their success “reflects the vision of a new, aspirational Punjab”. He added that the two had “shattered glass ceilings for every daughter of Punjab from small towns and villages”.The minister recalled that the Punjab Government under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had launched an NDA Preparatory Wing for girls at Mai Bhago AFPI in 2023, a decision that has now yielded results at the national level within three years of its inception.Mai Bhago AFPI Director Major General Jasbir Singh Sandhu, AVSM (Retd.), described Mehakpreet’s AIR 1 finish as “extraordinary given the minuscule vacancies for women in the defence services”. He said both cadets had given a “massive boost” to the state government’s mission of sending more daughters of Punjab into uniform.KNOW THE TOPPERSMehakpreet Kaur: AIR 1, Air Force Academy merit list; native of Paprali village in Ropar; daughter of Amarjit Singh (farmer) and Rupinder Kaur; student of Mai Bhago AFPI, Mohali; entry into Air Force Academy (AFA)Komalpreet Kaur: AIR 18, National Defence Academy (NDA); native of Shahura village in Amritsar; daughter of Havildar Gurmeet Singh (Indian Army) and Baljit Kaur; student of Mai Bhago AFPI, Mohali; entry into NDA, KhadakwaslaABOUT MAI BHAGO AFPIMai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for Girls in Mohali is NDA preparatory wing for girls launched in 2023 with the founding ethos of ‘Shubh Karman Te Kabhu Na Taraun’.